Crow's Nests in Ships of Old

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When navigating the seas, Vikings used crows as navigational equipment. Crows are land lovers, and when the weather made visibility difficult, they released crows to see which direction it would fly. Since they almost always flew toward land ,they followed the crow's path. Some Norsemen carried the birds in a cage tied to the top of the mast. Later, as ships changed and grew larger, they placed a sailor in a bucket high atop the main mast to look for land, pirates, and other dangers. The name "crow's nest" was given to this tub.

Today, the crow's nest is a thing of the past as navigational equipment has advanced, making sailing the high seas much easier than ever before.